PEAK: Student Pack

PEAK
By Roland Smith

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PEAK: Student Pack

Frontloading Everest Research
1. With a partner(s), develop ten questions you have about climbing Mt. Everest.
Record in your journal.
2. With your partner(s) search and decipher the Web for valid and reliable sites
to gain answers to your questions and other important or interesting data.
Also, search and peruse print text that will help you as well.
3. On your own, record three sites in different colors for a Bibliography (see
page 3)
4. Skim over the questions as you read the information on your own. Try to
focus on what you want to know and what other interesting information is
shared.
5. Bullet information using short phrases. Each source should be recorded in
your journal in a different color. If one source repeats information, simply
place a + sign next to the original information with the different color. Do the
same thing with the third source. If the information is different, bullet it with the
appropriate color. This will save you time and help you check to be sure
information is accurate. Review your questions every so often to see if you are
getting the information you wanted. HINT: You should always stay focused on
the purpose of your research and the audience to whom you will present.
6. Compare information with your partner(s). Are there any facts that dont
match?? If so, search and examine one or two more sites to verify which
information is correct dont forget to record these in different colors, too.
7. Organize your information by creating five to six categories using note cards,
such as, geographical features, human experiences, indigenous people,
statistics, equipment, etc. This can be completed with your partner(s) or on
your own.
8. Reflect on the information you have gathered. Decide if you would attempt the
summit of Everest or not. (This is to be completed on your own!)
9. On your own, write a persuasive essay convincing your partner(s) to join you
on a trip to climb Everest OR convincing them not to go. Do NOT discuss
whether or not you would like to go to Everest with your partner(s).
10a. Write out a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) stating whether or not your
partner(s) convinced you AND why.
b. Write out a juicy paragraph (8-12 sentences) why you would or would not
want to attempt the climb to the PEAK of Mt. Everest.

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Bibliography
Record your sites here. (Remember to use the different colored pens.)
Print Example:
Holowing, David. (2004). Everest. New York: Random House.
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Internet Example:
Retreived: 3 April, 2007 http://www.bielefeldt.de/everesthe.htm
Web Manager: Hartmut Bielefeldt; Last Updated 22 July, 2002

1. _____________________________________________________________
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2. ______________________________________________________________
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3. ______________________________________________________________
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PEAK: Student Pack

Frontloading Vocabulary
PEAK Vocabulary List
Create one set of note cards with the vocabulary list below by recording the
vocabulary word on the front of a 3x5 cards. (You will place the synonym or short
phrase on the back after the next assignment.) This set is to take home and practice
with your family. Create another set on 3x5 cards that your teacher has cut in half.
These are to carry throughout the day at school and practice whenever you have an
opportunity.
1. ascent p. 3
2. precarious p. 3
3. pelting p. 4
4. audacious p. 8
5. alleged p. 12
6. enunciating p. 13
7. elicited p. 16
8. demeanor p. 16
9. stupor p. 19
10. remorseful p. 19
11. incredulously p. 20
12. unwavering p. 20
13. duress p. 20
14. wherewithal p. 23
15. begrudgingly p. 24
16. concurred p. 25
17. mellowed p. 27
18. reevaluate p. 27
19. cringed p. 28
20. underestimated p. 29
21. undisclosed p. 39
22. concierge p. 41
23. pandemonium p. 48
24. auspicious p. 49
25. flourish p. 51
26. disheveled p. 62
27. surly p. 65
28. pristine p. 73
29. auspicious p. 93
30. poignant p. 114

31. cairn p. 93
32. balaclava p. 116
33. belligerently p. 133
34. garish p. 143
35. daunting p. 154
36. debilitated p. 170
37. vigil p. 175
38. disperse p. 175
39. blindsided p. 176
40. devastated p. 178
41. enmeshed p. 189
42. efficiency p. 189
43. elusive p. 189
44. blanch p. 206
45. denouement p.131, 242

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Down and Dirty Sentences

1. Select twenty words from the vocabulary list and write them out on a separate
sheet of paper.
2. Find the page and sentence the vocabulary word is used in and write it out
with quotations since you are quoting part of the book. You may use the
ellipsis if you want to shorten the sentence as well. You must have enough of
the sentence to determine what part of speech the word is and dont forget to
underline the word.
Example:
audacious-p. 8 My little blue mountains were small, but I made up for their size
by putting them in audacious places where they might never be seen
3. Before you research the word take a guess at what it means and whether or
not you used the context clues= CC or the word structure= WS. Place ?s
around the word.
Example
audacious - ?important? context clues
4. Determine and record the part of speech the word is and record a synonym
or short phrase for the word:
noun=n
verb=v
adjective=adj
adverb=adv
Example:
audacious adj., daring
5. Check your synonyms/short phrases and your parts of speech with the
teachers master list. Make corrections where necessary in red.
6. Now for the hard part, but fun, too!!! Use the new vocabulary word in your
own sentence, remembering the part of speech it comes from and its synonym
or short phrase. In addition, your sentence must have a prepositional phrase,
(up the hill, after the dance, to the police station, on fire, over the fence, etc.)
OR create a compound sentence (two simple sentences combined with a
conjunction. You can remember all of your conjunctions by using the phrase
FANS BOYS F=for, A=and, N=nor, B=but, O=or, Y=yet, S=so).
Please underline the vocabulary word.
Example:
During the party the boy was an audacious dancer.
I enjoyed the audacious band and the pepperoni pizza.

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PEAK: Student Pack

Literary Devices Figurative Language

Similes compare using like or as, usually with two very different things. They
usually create a visual picture for the reader.

1. Below are five similes from the text. Analyze and infer what visual picture
Roland Smith wants you to have as you read. HINT: You may have to go back
and read before and after the actual simile.
Example:
Page 14 . 11 They were six years old and looked up to the third Pea (me) like I
was a god.
This simile helps me picture how much his twin half-sisters love Peak and how
much they idolize him. I can see them smile at him as if he can do anything.

a. Page 26 2 tearing the tie off his neck like it was an anaconda.
b. Page 33 10 They were thirty feet up the wall, free climbing. For rock
rats like them, this was like strolling across a level parking lot.
c. Page 43 10 For a climber, saying that you are stopping by Everest
is like saying youre going to stop by and see God.
d. Page 59 7 - Its sort of like asking a magician to tell you how he does
a trick.
e. Page 63 3 Sun-jo who had picked a more difficult route,
scrambled up the rock like a lizard, smiling as he climbed past

2. As you read the novel, find ten or more similes and record them (on a
separate sheet) AND what visual picture Roland Smith wants you to have.
Dont forget to record the similes you found as I did, page and paragraph
numbers, ellipsis and quotation marks.
Hint: There are three on the first page of the chapter GASP.

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Metaphors compare two unlike things without using like or as. They can give a
stronger image or be used in a subtle, simple way.
Simile: She is like a rat.
Metaphor: She is a rat.
Simile: He went like a shadow into the forest.
Metaphor: He melted into the forest.
This novel uses metaphors to describe people, places, and events. Locate at least
four metaphors and interpret what they are describing about a person, place, or
event. Dont forget page and paragraph numbers, ellipsis and quotation marks.
HINT: There are three in the chapter Rock Rats.
Example: Page 27 8 When youre at the end of your rope theres no one
better than Joshua Wood. Unfortunately he doesnt pay much attention unless
youre dangling.
Peaks dad is good in a crisis or when serious trouble comes but on a daily basis
he doesnt seem interested or caring.

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Personification is when non-living things are given human characteristics to help the
reader visualize the scene AND understand the story better. I like to remember this
by breaking down the word personification to person. Non-person things are given
person-like characteristics.
A simple example from the novel, PEAK, would be on page 56, paragraph 4.
the motorcycle belched out a column of gray smoke so thick I thought it had
burst into flames along with my new friend.
Motorcycles dont usually belch but you do. It gives you an interesting and
humorous picture of what the cycle was doing while the boys had to ride it.
This section gives you the idea that Sun-jo does not have a great deal of
money.
On page 133, Zopa states, You can never tell who the mountain will allow and who it
will not.
Answer these questions with complete ideas and details.
How does this personification example help you visualize the mountain?
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How does this personification example help you understand the story better?
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How would it be possible for a mountain to choose who gets to climb and who
does not?
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Peak uses this same phrase when he is climbing Everest with Sun-jo, p. 229.
How has the meaning of this personification changed? What does it tell you now
about the story; what scene does it paint for you?
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PEAK: Student Pack

I Poem
The narrator of an I poem can be a person, place, or object such as Everest.
Use the plot of the novel to help Everest talk through the poem. Make the
mountain come alive as you assign strong, descriptive, and sophisticated words
to each of the I lines of the poem. The poem can rhyme but it is not necessary.
The most important characteristic is that the poem is written in the first person
point of view. Create the rest of the prompt AND then use a new format to create
a different type of I Poem at the bottom of this page.
I am Everest
I see
I want
I know
I am
I wonder
I feel
I touch
I am
I worry
I cry out
I understand
I want
I understand
I say
I am

Example:
I am the cave,
Cool and dark,
Where she finds trouble, heartache, death
As natural forces fight the Barons of Evil
A crystal world weeping
Sorrow seeping
Yet hope flows through the stone
Rescue?

You try:
I am the mountain, Everest,

Practice reading your poems aloud so you can share with

a small group and the class.
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Elements of Literature Characterization
Major Character
Peak Marcello is the main character in this novel because he goes through the
most changes, and it is his voice we hear as we read the story.
List Peaks characteristics and traits, both inside and out, as you read through
the story - use nouns and adjectives.
Example:
fourteen

climber

smart

writer

Write - Pair Share a paragraph using one simile and one metaphor to describe
Peak to someone who has never met him. Write it below:
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Minor Characters
There are many other characters in PEAK. Minor characters are usually added to a
story to help the reader understand the major character. They are also important to
the storys plotline! Many times the minor characters are more memorable because
they have quirky personalities. I love how Roland Smith describes the Peas.. In the
future, if I hear about Everest on TV or I overhear a conversation about mountain
climbing, I am sure I will think of Peak first. Immediately after thinking about Peak
though, I will think about the Two Peas and have a great big grin on my face.
To help you understand the minor characters and their interdependence with
Peak, create a complete paragraph (4-8 sentences) about each minor character
below, sharing:
Who the minor character is
Their relationship with Peak
How they affect who Peak is and who he becomes
Example:
Peaks Mom: Peaks mom was a Rock Rat herself but got hurt because she was
worried about Peak. She is smart, beautiful, and most importantly, she
understands why Peak wants to climb Everest. She loves Peak deeply because
she lets him go with his father. It was painful for her to let him go but it was what
was best for Peak. Peak loves his mom and actually idolizes her. He knows that
home is a safe place but he wants to experience more. When Peaks mom calls
him near the end of the story he begins to realize how important she is to him and
how much he respects her advice and opinions. She changes how Peak feels
about Everest and about himself.
Other Minor Characters:
The Two Peas, Patrice and Paula
Rolf
Sun-jo
Joshua Wood
Zopa
Holly Angelo
Vincent

Elements of Literature - Setting

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Description Paragraphs and Sensory Details

When you share about the setting you do NOT tell what happens. You DO share
what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell so that your reader can picture what you
experience.
Using sensory details (your fives senses) and at least two similes AND two
metaphors write a juicy paragraph, on a separate sheet, describing these different
settings in the novel:
Take sensory detail notes in your journal as you discover these places in the novel.
Courtroom Kathmandu
Base Camp
ABC Camp Top of the World

Elements of Literature Point of View

Character Flip
PEAK is written in first person. You know this because Peak is the one talking
throughout the story. There is no narrator, third person, telling you about what he
does or how he feels; Peak does that himself with all his I statements. He even tells
you how other people are feeling. You see the word I over and over again as Peak
shares.
I like to think about first person and the word I. I always remember
that First Person is when the major character in the story is telling it.
I reminds me of 1 and then 1 reminds me of First and then I remember the
idea of First Person.
By the end of the book we know exactly who Peak is and how he thinks. It is often
interesting to speculate and predict how the story would change if a different
character would have written a section of the story. What if a different character
started to write one of the chapters?
Select any character and any section of novel and examine that section. Determine
the changes that would occur if a different character wrote that section. Rewrite that
section using the new characters first persons voice. How big a section? This is up
to you. It can be a couple pages or an entire chapter.
Write your new section on a separate sheet of paper. Title the new section with the
same title as the book, but place the name of the character after it, ex: ABC Sun-jo.

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Elements of Literature Conflict

Major and Minor Conflicts

There are five types of conflicts in literature
Man vs. Man
One character against another
Man vs. Self
Character or characters against their own beliefs
Man vs. Society
Character or characters against the rules of society
Man vs. Nature
Character or characters against the forces of nature
Man vs. Fate (God)
Character or characters against their own destiny
There are major and minor plots just like there are major and minor
characters. The novel PEAK includes all of these conflicts above depending
on which character and which conflict you are thinking about.

Compare each conflict with a different character AND explain the connection. You
may use any character twice but no more than that.
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Self
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Fate (God)

Peaks Mom
Zopa
Joshua Wood
Sun-jo

A quick example: The conflict of Man vs. Nature is represented by the

sickness HAPE that comes from the lack of oxygen. The climbers who dont
prepare or for some other reason get sick with HAPE as they climb. Next they
have to use the Gammow Bag and be sent back down. It is as if the mountain
(nature) is in conflict with the climber (man).

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Elements of Literature Theme
Life-Lessons and Morals
Theme is an interesting part of all literature. A theme is what the author wants you to
know or what you gain from reading the novel. Stories can be life-changing.
Themes can be expressed in one word: Courage, Honesty, Relationships, Love,
Sacrifice, etc. Themes are also life-lessons or morals: Dont put off until tomorrow
what you can do today Live your life to the fullest, or A smile is the foundation of
beauty. The theme or life-lesson can be something that you learn OR something
that a character learned OR something that the author wishes each person could
think about and learn from.
What types of themes, life-lessons, and/or morals are there in the novel
PEAK?
What does Roland Smith want you to learn about life or, at least, be reminded
of as you live vicariously through the characters?
Hint: Dont just think of Peak and themes but about the minor characters as
well.
Interpret and explain how each of the themes listed connect with the story. Use at
least three specific sections of the story to help you explain the connection to a
theme. You will need to complete this on a separate sheet of paper and use
complete paragraphs (4-8 sentences).
Relationships

Survival

Change

Courage

Interdependence

Examine the story and choose three more one-word themes or life-lessons
(morals) that are represented in the story. Use at least one specific section of the
story to help you explain the connection to the theme. Use complete paragraphs (4-8
sentences).
Example:
Betrayal is a strong theme in this book. Joshua Wood is not loyal to his son. He
never wrote Peak even though he received Peaks letters. He also brought Peak to
Everest to help his business not because he shows loyalty towards him. Peak feels
that Sun-jo has not been loyal to him when it is revealed that Sun-jo is Zopas
grandson and he will be trying for the peak of Everest himself. Joshua Wood also
feels a bit betrayed by Zopa because he kept Sun-jos identity a secret. However,
when Josh finds out that Sun-jo is the son of the man who saved his life, he shows
loyalty toward Sun-Jo and Zopa by allowing Sun-jo to go and does everything in his
power to help, even defying Captain Shek. Sun-jo shows loyalty to his family by
working as hard as he can to help his sisters stay in school. Finally, if Peak had truly
understood the value of loyalty to his mother and family, he would not have pulled all
the tagging escapades.

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Elements of Literature Style
Literary Devices are used to make the book more interesting, to tell more about a
person, place, or event, for emphasis, or to make the phrase or sentence have a
pleasant sound. They are some of the techniques that authors use to transform good
writing into great writing.

Roland Smith uses many types of literary devices in PEAK. Find examples
and share their significance. Complete the following on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Foreshadowing - a word, sentence, or paragraph that hints at what is coming next

in the novel.
Record five examples of foreshadowing and predict what will happen next.
2. Flashback - a sentence or paragraph that takes the reader back in time so that
they may learn more about a character, place, or event
Record two examples of a flashback and explain what you learned from it.
3. Sarcasm - a word, sentence, or paragraph that intends to mock or highly
exaggerate a person, place, or event
The sarcasm in PEAK sets the whole tone for Peaks unique voice.
Record six examples of sarcasm and determine what is being mocked or
exaggerated and explain why you think so. There are a ton right in the
beginning of the novel.
4. Word Choice a word is chosen because it gives the best meaning for the
character/setting description or event in the story
Many times one word can share a huge message. Roland Smith uses many small
words to create a big meaning.
Record five examples of the one word which conveys a complex meaning and
explain what the complex meaning is.

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Style continued
Genre and Story Format
Style is also the genre an author chooses for developing a story, the specific way the
book is formatted including chapter titles and any special features in the book such
as maps, diagrams, letters, poetry, etc.
1. Explain which genres (at least two) PEAK fits into and why.
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2. Name any special feature and explain how they helped you.
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1. The Denouement - The word denouement is used to describe the last chapter.
Explain why the author used this word AND its significance?
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Journal Quest - Socratic Discussion Questions

In order to better understand the book PEAK answer each question in your journal as
you read the story. Answer with complete ideas and specific details from the
story. Write as much as you know about each question, NOT only a bit of what
you know. Pretend your teacher has not read the story yet and this is her window
into PEAK. Yes, you need to explain why when needed.
Socratic Discussion Questions - Set One (pages 1-66)
Literal
1. What happened to Peaks cheek and ear when he was climbing the
skyscraper?
2. What is tagging?
3. When did Peak truly feel regret and shame for having tagged the buildings?
4. How did Peak begin climbing?
5. Why was there a film crew on Everest?
6. What are three pieces of writing advice the author shares through Peaks
teacher Vincent?
Inferential
1. Why does Peak think he was caught; what is his greatest disappointment in
being caught?
2. What is a Moleskin and whats its significance in the story?
3. Why was Peak in such serious trouble for climbing and tagging skyscrapers
in New York?
4. Why did the judge agree to Peak leaving with his Josh?
5. Why did Zopa make the boys walk up to the Base Camp AND carry extra gear
instead of ride?
6. How does Roland Smith feel about the porters, herders, and yaks on Everest?
Evaluative
1. Do you think it was a wise decision for Peak to go with his father?
2. What types of regrets do you think about?
3. How do you avoid regret?
4. What or who affects your decisions big or small?

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Socratic Discussion Questions - Set Two pages 67 - End

Literal
1. How does the brain function at high altitudes?
2. Why is climbing a solo sport? What does it take to get to the top of Everest?
3. Why is 26,000 feet considered to be the death zone?
Inferential
1. Why is Captain Shek such a threat?
2. What is the difference between a Rock Rat and a Rock Weasel?
3. Why can a Gamow Bag save a life?
4. What is significant about Roland Smiths statement on p. 154, You dont have
to be alone to feel alone?
5. What did Rolfs letter mean to Peak?
6. What types of changes did Holly Angelo experience?
7. What is the significance of Gulus story in the novel?
8. What types of changes did Peak experience physically, intellectually,
emotionally and socially?
9. How are building a wall and building a story the same? Hint: p 144 should help
you as Roland Smith shares the wall section of the comparison. Now, you
share the writing part.
10. How does the phone call from Peaks Mom change him?
11. What changed at the summit of Everest?
12. Will Peak ever go back to Everest?
Evaluative
1. Why did Josh bring Peak with him to Everest?
2. Why is climbing Everest not a competition between Peak and Sun-jo but a
battle against life or death?
3. Peak has no grades at his school. If you did not get a grade for any of your
work or your classes, what would change?
4. What does Roland Smith mean by, The point is that we wont know what the
story is about until we know how the story ends.

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5. Zopa compliments Peak at the end of a climb and Peak says it was a whole
tank of Os flowing into my bloodstream. How do compliments make you
feel? Why are they so important? Who do you most like to be complimented
by?
6. Does Joshua Woods love Peak? Is he a good father?
7. What did Peak learn from his visit to Everest? Write this as if it is the moral of
the story.
8. Which character is the most memorable?

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